Don't let oil spill kill W.H. agenda

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Right now, the oil spill threatens to become a killer metaphor for President Obama.
AP Photo

But Obama is not Bill Clinton. “My job is to solve this problem,” the president said on CNN. “Ultimately, this isn’t about me and how angry I am.”

The more the press is obsessed by the oil spill, the more powerless the president is likely to appear.

He can get trapped by the story, just as Carter was trapped by the Iran hostage crisis. The hostage story was a bonanza for the news media. It was a top story for 444 days. Daily coverage on ABC News produced a major media franchise — “Nightline.”

Carter was so concerned about appearing on top of the situation that he allowed it to seize control of his agenda. The president actually had very little control over events, something that became clear after the disastrous U.S. rescue mission on Day 173. By focusing so obsessively on the hostages, Carter put himself in a box. The story made him appear ineffectual and diminished his power.

When reporters went on strike with Clinton, he proved pretty effective at doing an end run around them. After the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke in January 1998, the press went into a frenzy. But Clinton never mentioned the scandal in his long, discursive State of the Union speech soon afterward.

He refused to let the scandal distract him. And his ratings went up.

The Lewinsky scandal was a private matter, of course. The oil spill is not. Obama certainly can’t ignore it, but he also can’t let it take over his entire agenda. He can’t appear to be trapped, the way Carter was. He has to show that he can still do things, even if he can’t stop the oil spill.

Like pass a new jobs bill. Democrats in Congress have gotten scared by the deficit issue and are fearful of taking on any new spending. Obama has to steel their nerve. Jobs are still No. 1 on the public’s agenda. The deficit is an obsession mainly to conservatives, especially the tea parties.

Right now, the oil spill threatens to become a killer metaphor for Obama. That’s what the hostage crisis became for Carter: It symbolized his hapless and ineffectual leadership.

Hurricane Katrina became a killer metaphor for Bush but for a different reason. Bush didn’t seem ineffectual; he seemed indifferent.

The oil spill is not a metaphor. It is a real tragedy. Obama’s dilemma is to keep it from becoming a metaphor for all the problems he seems powerless to solve now.

Bill Schneider, Hirst professor of public policy at George Mason University, is a resident scholar at Third Way.

Readers' Comments (21)

Good morning America, It's day 50 how many more days until Christmas? How's that hope and change dope doin'

“The media might get tired of this story, but we will not,” Obama said in Louisiana on Friday.

dear Mr Presidente, the media will not get tired of this story, no matter how hard you may hope and pray. Even with guys like Scarboroug in State Run Media, saying "75% of this can be laid at Dubya's feet"

Politico writes "Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani reassured terrified New Yorkers that the situation was under control after Sept. 11. President George W. Bush failed to do that after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

Obama is doing all he can to persuade people that the situation in the Gulf is under control. He has been to Louisiana three times. He has shoved the oil company aside and taken charge, saying, “The buck stops with me.” Meanwhile, his administration is pursuing criminal charges against BP."

The mention of Bush's response after Katrina may be appropraite, but the rewriting of history in regards to Obama's response could almost be considered journalistic malpractice. The government has had emergency plans in place for almost 20 years that would have put all the resources of the federal government in play to mitigate the damage from the spill.

It was the Obama administration that dithered when this episode first started, and that seems to have led to a much more devastating incident. Obama could not address the issue for more than a week because he was too busy traveling around complaining about an Arizona immigration enforcement law that he had not read, complaining about judges and he had fund raising dinners to attend. Obama's EPA head couldn't address the issue for more than a week because she was busy attending Earth Day events all over the country and appearing on the Daily Show with John Stewart. I guess practicing those jokes for the comedy program that she was a part of was more important that coordining the governments efforts to mitigate the damage from the oil leak. Why did the Obama administration wait 8 days to declare this a national emergency?

The government had plans in place to address an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that were included in legislation and regulations passed in 1986, 1990, 1994 and later. NOAA had the "In-Situ-Burn plan that was developed in 1994 to respond to this type of incident. The 1994 plan included a burn waiver that would have allowed responders to immediately begin burning off oil without having to go through the 10 day plus federal permit process. Did Obama implement the "In-Situ-Burn" plan? No!

The burn plan could not be implemented because the government did not own a fire resistant oil boom. Those booms only cost a few hundred thousand dollars each, and one boom is capable of burning 75,000 gallons of oil an hour or 1,800,000 gallons a day. The Gulf of Mexico was calm enough to use the booms for the first 3 days of the incident, and one boom could have burned 5.4 million gallons of oil during that 3 day period.

It was Obama's MMS that gave BP a waiver on April 6, 2009 that exempted BP from EPA requirements. It was Obama's MMS that gave BP permission to drill that well without a NOAA permit. It was Obama's MMS that decided in 2009 that an acoustically-controled shut-off valve (BOP) would not be required as a last resort against underwater spills at the site. From the moment this incident started there were more than a dozen countries that are experts in oil spills that offered assistance. Obama refused their help.

What is really pathetic is that this situation has been going on for more than a month and Obama has not even spoken to the head of BP. One would think that Obama would have been on the phone almost instantly, but it didn't happen. Obama is trying to make himself look like a responsible president, but he sucks at it. People complained that Obama didn't appear "mad enough" at BP in his press talks and now the inexperienced leader is going out claiming he wants to kick butt. What is he..... 12 years old. Bill Schneider has either been in a cave for the last month and a half, or he is a propogandist for the Obama regime. It is pretty bad when Obama has talked to Paul McCartney and Kelly Clarkson more in the last 2 months than he has with the head of BP.

Another fine muslim (obama) apology piece. Nothing should stop the community organizer, not bankruptcy or disasters, the give away agenda marchs on. Schneider reports on the communist news network with that liberal smirk on his face. Well, soon that smirk will be wiped off by taking the legs out from under this socialist by the midterms. God bless America and the Tea Party!

Uh, Bill, for the umpteenth time, the Lewinsky scandal was not a "private matter"; not when it's done in the Oval Office and while Clinton is on the phone with congressmen etc. The serial lying and obstruction of justice in covering it up wasn't "private" either; it's no different than if the president had a bad drug habit. Is that private too? Of course, I don't think impeachment was the right way to go in any event, but please don't try to whitewash history. Heck, I'd take Clinton back in a heartbeat over this clown Odinga.

What a BIASED article... Obama is already a one term failed president you jackas@

You have to keep in mind that this was written by a college professor. You know.... one of the people that is indoctrinating our children. Many college professors teach ideology, and reality and common sense have no place in their classroom. The following line from Professor Schneider opinion piece is very telling; "Hurricane Katrina became a killer metaphor for Bush but for a different reason. Bush didn’t seem ineffectual; he seemed indifferent." A president should be judged on results and Schneider seems to believe that Bush was somewhat effective in the response to Katrina, but Schneider seems more impressed with the emotional aspect of dealing with a disaster. Obama's dithered 8 days in declaring the spill a national disaster which delayed the involvement of the government in its mandated responsibility to manage and direct the clean-up effort. The dithering, stumbling and bumbling of Obama doesn't matter to people like Schneider because they are impressed with the notion that "Obama cares sooooooooooo much". Sorry professor, but results matter in the real world, not emotional theater meant to B.S. the masses, and cover-up a pathetic attempt by Obama to be an effective leader.

Schneider is right that Obama is a Carter- retread. But he is wrong about Clinton. No, the Lewinsky- scandal was NOT a private matter. When the President of the United States is carrying on with an intern IN THE WH, and lying about it afterwards, it is NOT a PRIVATE MATTER! Schneider is once again repeating the MSM mantra at that time (this is just about sex). The MSM kept repeating this theme and the American people bought into it and helped the creep survive. If the Founding Fathers were around at the time and witnessed it they would fall over backwards.

But back to Carter, I mean Obama: Yes, he went to the Gulf three times, but left shortly afterwards to return to White House parties or a vacation. Actually he's getting pretty tame treatment compared to what a Republican would be getting in the same situation.

Mr. Ben Nelson says "call in the troops". Well Mr. Nelson, sorry but our troops are engaged in an endless war that was supposed to be over a few months after the presidential election. They can't come because they are in the Middle East breaking things, killing the enemy and getting injured and killed themselves.

Why don't you and some of your friends who are living off taxpayers money, get in your cars and go to the Gulf of Mexico and see what you can do. But for goodness sake, don't let the oil spill kill the W.H. agenda. I do not think that the press will tire of reporting the story. I'ts only about the most massive screw up of the Gulf of Mexico in recorded history.

But back to Carter, I mean Obama: Yes, he went to the Gulf three times, but left shortly afterwards to return to White House parties or a vacation. Actually he's getting pretty tame treatment compared to what a Republican would be getting in the same situation.

I think you are being a little unfair to Chairman Obama. Obama didn't run away from his responsibilities to party at the White House. Those were not "parties". They were job creation events. Afterall, who else is going to give Paul McCartney, George Lopez and Kelly Clarkson a job? I just wonder if the Obama regime is going to count those artists performing at the White House as jobs created or saved due to the stimulas package.

Caligula, perhaps one of history's best examples of why not to give unfettered power to an untested neophyte, had a similar problem with King Neptune. He bore a life-long grudge against the ocean. His solution was to gather up his legions and have them hurl their javelins at the incoming waves. He then declared victory, had his army comb the beach of its sea shells in tribute, and celebrated his spoils in a triumph. What use, I wonder, will Obama find for his Army in his war with King Neptune?

Let me see; Jimmy Carter asked his daughter, Amy, about the nuclear profiliation and how she would handle it. Obuma's daughter asked if he had plugged that hole up yet. The similarities are almost laughable. I do believe we now have a challenger to the Carter era for the most most inept president of all time. Someone please tell me anything, a single instance, where YOUR life has improved under anything this president and his administration??? I'm waiting!

Rejoice America! Barack has awoken and is looking to "kick ass". Muslem terrorists, drug lords, white collar criminals, illegal aliens and oil drillers are all shaking in their boots. He will surely lead his party to victory in November with this new found bravado.

Anything and everything that happened under Bush was exploited by the Democrats for political gain. True or not, fair or not, just or not. That was just fine and dandy and that is supposed to be the new MO for the Democrats for all eternity.

Yet, when it’s the Democrat’s turn up to lead and bat – they want everyone to forget about how they treated others and want us to all just “get along”.

Is there any reasonable person who really thinks that is a workable formula in the real world? People and politics does not work that way. Now, if the Dems had spent more time working on uniting the country both during Bush and under Obama to this point – then perhaps it would be a far easier task to govern.

And what happens when the relief wells fail? There is NO guarantee they will work.

And what happens when the relief wells also blow out and the riser package blows off this current well? This is a REAL possibility, one wrong move of a valve. One critical piece of hardware that fails.

If . . . and I say IF Bush was successfully portrayed as 'indifferent' about Katrina, Obama's been just as, if not moreso -- he's had to be reminded numerous times in the last 40-some days to act interested, to make trips down to the Gulf, and to act angry. And now we see that he hasn't even bothered to try to meet with the head of BP . . . . . better to stay aloof - to play his golf, attend his White House concerts and fund-raisers, and occasionally talk really mean . . . . . to try to placate Spike Lee.

Kill the White House Agenda?? Here's news - the oil spill IS the White House agenda, along with everything else that might unexpectedly come up during the 4 year term that he applied for. If something happens that doesn't happen to be on his Day Planner, we shouldn't have to feel badly that he's being inconvenienced.